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[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
With the month of December among us, I felt that it's the perfect time to work my way through Shantae and the Pirate's Curse since Risky's Revenge left us with a c...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
It looks like I hit a wall in Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut, as we need to find a specific power-up to continue the game. From the looks of it, it's connect...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
Now that I was able to overcome RozenkreuzStilette Freudenstachel's harsh winter, we're going to shake our hips to the music, as we tackle Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Di...

[Update: The stream is over but you can watch it here.]
Well, folks. Tonight, I attempt to complete my task of mastering the ways of making stars again, as the folks of This Starry Midnight We Make's world are in need of some...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
We're back to our usual schedule and it's time for us to find Fortune Summoners' final adversary and show her that it's rude to turn innocent people into stone. Serious...

It's been less than a week since RocketPunch Games took Code: HARDCORE to Kickstarter and their dream to bring an over-the-top mecha game to the world is now a reality. In other words, the company's upcoming title is now fund...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
I bet most of you are wondering why I'm holding a Jtor Live segment tonight. Well, something came up that I won't be able to host the segment on Saturday, so I figured ...

If there's one thing that the world need, it's more games with cool giant robots pulling off stylish moves. The gang at RocketPunch Games hope to make this a reality, as they take their 2D four-player versus mecha title, Code...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
So MAGES released Steins;Gate on Steam yesterday, which means that we're going to take the game for a spin tonight. Since Former Japanator Community Manager B...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here and here.]
Wow. I never expected Fortune Summoners to allow me to have a party of three characters since I felt that it would make the game a bit chaotic. Of course,...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
No matter how rough things get in the world. it's always important to grab a bite to eat when your stomach demands it. While it's very important for Arche to awaken the...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here and here.]
Summer tends to be one of the hottest seasons in many regions, which results in people trying to find a way to stay cool while they endure the heat. In the cas...

I may not have gotten the chance to dive into more traditional visual novel titles, but I still enjoy keeping with the stuff that gets announced for the West. That way, I have an idea on which games to jump on when I get the ...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
As I promised last time, I was going to try out a different doujin title for this week's segment. Since I was in a mood for a challenge, I'm going to tackle Fortune Sum...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
So I was able to get VA-11 Hall-A's good and bad ending last time, which means that it's time for us to start our next adventure. Tonight, I felt that I should sli...

For the longest time, the original Little King's Story was a game that caught my interest; however, for some unknown reason, I never got around to picking it up. Luckily, it turns out the that game's HD PC release hits Steam,...

Jun 24 //
Josh Tolentino
[Note: Pricing and actual percentage discounts can vary based on your region, so check your local Steam page to get the exact numbers.]
The Fruit of Grisaia - The well-regarded visual novel series recently got an anime adaptation and was localized by Sekai Project last year. Its sequel, The Labyrinth of Grisaia, is also on sale, as is the Michiru-led comedy spinoff The Leisure of Grisaia.
Higurashi When They Cry - The classic and now terribly ugly "sound novel" series was being sold for impulse-buy money even without a discount, and now the whole series, including Umineko, is up for the cut. Also interesting are other MangaGamer offerings like lesbian ghost sim Kindred Spirits on the Roof and Nikola Tesla pretty-boy sim Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning.
Bandai Namco felt the touch of the green percentage as well, with all three Dark Souls games facing significant price cuts, as well as Tale of Zestiria, which has an awesome Japanese intro whose lyrics didn't make it into the English version. The Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm games are also on sale, so if you want to catch up with the last quarter of the Naruto manga's plot while also having cool graphics, that's up. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse and One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 also flesh out the roster of Shonen JUMP titans.
Square Enix is as well-known these days for publishing western games as much as Japanese ones, but as far as relevance goes, Final Fantasy titles are where it's at. VII, VIII, IX, X, X-2, XIII, XIII-2, Type-0 and Lighting Returns are all on sale. And if the thought of playing all those JRPGs makes you want to strangle someone, they're also selling a handful of cool Hitman games.
Capcom also brings a slate of offerings headlined by a much-needed discount on the beleaguered Street Fighter V. By most accounts, the fighting-game core of this unfortunate beast is strong, but the damn thing simply isn't finished yet. Capcom are promising a free "cinematic" story mode soon, as well as some new characters. Fans of Dead Rising can snag a hefty discount off a bundle containing Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, and Dead Rising 3. The PC version of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is also available, spreading its cult appeal beyond the consoles.
Look at Sega's store lineup and you'll find more Total War and Company of Heroes than the games most folks used to associate with the company. That said it would be a "shameful display" if a self-respecting, PC-owning otaku didn't at least try Shogun 2: Total War at the price it's being sold at now. It's the most Japanese game to ever come out of West Sussex, where developer Creative Assembly is quartered. People who do remember what Sega used to mean can drown their sorrows in a hefty collection of retro rereleases, or maybe some Valkyria Chronicles.
XSEED, which has in many ways overtaken Atlus as the premier English-language localizer of note, has a number of PC offerings on sale, including the PC versions of Akiba's Trip and Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus. Fans who don't need too much anime boobies in their life can turn to a host of Ys games and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.
Ghostlight, publisher of many a localized game in the UK, has a handful of Agarest titles up for discount, but the real prizes in my mind are Way of the Samurai 3 and 4, the quirkiest open-world games this side of a Yakuza spinoff. They're also basically better, more thought-out takes on what you may have tried in Akiba's Trip, but with more swords and S&M torture and less anime boobies. Speaking of games that were published by Spike Chunsoft at some point (they handled the original versions of Way of the Samurai and Akiba's Trip), you also can't forget Danganronpa 1 and 2, which are arguably two of the best visual novels available in English right now.
In keeping with the fact that Idea Factory International mostly just handles a few games these days, a truly absurd number of Hyperdimension Neptunia games and DLC are on sale, with Fairy Fencer F and the redundantly-titled otome game Amnesia: Memories rounding out the offering.
Playism brings a raftload of fairly obscure titles, but the headliners here are Swery's D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, and the Indiana Jones-like metroidvania La-Mulana.
NIS America, for its part, only started releasing PC games recently, and its availablity of old PS2-era strategy titles, including Phantom Brave and Disgaea alongside tough games like htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary and Stranger of Sword City are up for some modest price cuts.
Other discounts of interest include the brilliant Stardew Valley, which does Harvest Moon better than its current masters in Japan have managed, and Undertale, a loving and subversive send-up of JRPGs.
That's just a smattering of the most notable otaku-oriented offerings this summer. There may be more or larger discounts rolling in as the sale develops, so keep an eye on the storefront if there's something you're hoping to pick up.

And, like, five thousand other gamesIt's that time again, eager gamers and deal-conscious customers: Valve's yearly Steam Summer Sale has just kicked off, and the prices are a-dropping. That's especially relevant to you, the fan of games from Glorious Nippon, a...

For a good while, I've been waiting for the day that someone would create an indie mecha title that was inspired by the Super Robot Wars series. While this day hasn't arrived, the Chinese Indie Game Development Team known as...

[Update: The stream is over but you can watch it here.]
At long last, I made it to what might be Danganronpa 2's final ordeal. Compare to the first game's last obstacle, it seems that this segment might play out differently s...

As the BETA prepare for their attack on Earth next month, the Muv-Luv team has prepared their own countermeasure in the form of giving people the ability to pre-order Muv-Luv on Steam.
If you happen to have HTC Vibe, you can ...

With E3 '16 still happening as we speak, Bandai Namco decided to show off a new trailer for Tales of Berseria that shows off the new opening theme by FLOW that's simply known as "Burn." From the looks of it, the song's ...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here. For those who're interested in owning the limited edition VA-11 HALL-A shotglass that I showed in the segment, they're still available at Wolfgame's ...

[Update: I contacted Fernando Damas (VA-11 HALL-A's Writer and Programmer) of Sukeban Games about The Augmented Eye Website's purpose, and he said, "We made AE as a means to tease the trailer, but we'll use it some more...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
Well, folks. I'm finally back from MegaCon '16, the largest convention in Florida that's in Orlando, Fla., which means that it's time for me to continue with Danganronp...

To this day, the Senran Kagura series remains on my list of games to play, since the franchise's over-the-top beat 'em up combat system (both 2.5 and 3D) and fun cast have caught my interest. Speaking of which, XSEED has...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
It was unfortunate that I had to cut the stream when I reached the third chapter's trial, but I didn't want things to drag on too much since Danganronpa 2's cases are l...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
For a second, I thought that Danganronpa 2's second trial was going to repeat a scenario from the first game, but the team managed to change things up again. Even thoug...

May 09 //
Salvador G Rodiles
Corpse Party (PC)Developer: Team GrisGrisPublisher: XSEED GamesRelease Date: March 8, 2008 (JP), April 25, 2016 (NA)MSRP: $14.99
From the beginning, Corpse Party sets the scene for an amusing horror story as it separates the main cast after they were transported to a spiritual plane when they failed to properly recite the charm known as “Sachiko Ever After.” This places the player in an intense situation while they try to escape from Heavenly Host Elementary school, a place that was thought to have been demolished; thus emulating that feeling that comes from being in a scary situation without any means to overcome spirits that are after your life.
For the most part, Corpse Party’s scary moments aren’t the type of scenes that’ll make people jump out of their seats or scream loudly. Instead, they’re the kind of segments that are meant to shock players through the use of creepy descriptions and sound effects that complement the segments where someone gets killed in a messed up way, such as seeing a girl turn into nothing but blood and guts after being slammed into a wall at full force by two ghost kids.
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Even though most of these segments are shown through sprite animations or text on a completely black screen, the impact from watching your character or one of their friends suffer badly remains intact. To an extent, they give off a similar feeling to seeing one of When They Cry: Higurashi’s violent moments, which was the vibe that I was getting through each of the game’s five chapters. With each stage being around 20 minutes to an hour long during one's first playthrough, people won't have to worry about the scary moments overstaying their welcome.
One thing the elevates these scenes, it’s the voice cast’s performances, as each person brings out the true potential of the characters that are experiencing fear or going insane from being in a place that’s hard to escape from. This stood out more during the game’s Wrong Ends, since they act as the “Game Over” sequences for the game and a good majority of them involve various members of the cast suffering an unfortunate fate. In some cases, it made up for the lack of visuals in the scenes with black screens.
While Corpse Party’s spirits and messed up situations makes it sound like a really intense title, the game mostly has the players searching for ways to progress through the school without having to worry about facing death, such as finding special items or activating switches scattered across the school. However, this doesn’t mean that thing are safe, as the game has a few segments where players run from ghosts and have to avoid certain traps that could result in absolute death.
Since none of the students have any items to defend themselves with, Corpse Party ensures that its players are in a state of vulnerability throughout the entire game. The only thing that can help folks overcome each challenge is to for them to be aware of their surroundings while they search for the items and clues to progress further, as it’s a requirement to overcome each chapter. In some situations, one wrong move could cause specific characters to go mad and do something foolish. Overall, this setup works nicely in making the players feel insecure at times, which captures the essence of many horror films— especially with the fact that the game is riddled with a ton of different Wrong Ends.
Aside from school’s intense atmosphere, Corpse Party also involves the players trying to figure out the mystery behind the place they’re trapped in. This was one of the most intriguing parts of the title, as it delves into the twisted tales that lead to the Heavenly Host Elementary School being torn down, along with learning about the deceased students who were sent to the spiritual plane before you. Sure, some of the events were messed up, but they’re all still rewarding since they play a big role in giving the surviving students the ammunition to overcome the source of the hauntings.
Despite the game’s creepy nature, the title’s characters are depicted in a simplistic style that gives them a cute look. All in all, Corpse Party’s designs shine well when the cast is placed in various dire situations, as certain characters look extremely menacing when they snap or appear emotionally broken when they watch someone die. While the PSP version’s character designs have a nicer updated look, the 2008 PC release’s portraits still have a special charm to them since their expressions still complement the game’s horror themes. In terms of the title’s presentation, the overhead view format with 2D sprites worked well as a callback to the original Corpse Party being a game that was made in RPG Maker.
Other than the game’s five main chapters, the 2008 PC version of Corpse Party features a few extra chapters that expand on a few elements present in the game. While the game’s PSP release has more segments than its predecessor, the main thing that sets the latter apart is the last chapter, which is a retelling of the “Tooth” story from Corpse Party: Book of Shadows. While I didn’t play Book of Shadows, the scenario is still friendly to newcomers, as it expanded on a supporting character that was insane in the main story, along with a specific character that the player can only encounter in one of the game’s Wrong Ends. Compare to the other three bonus stages, "Tooth's" length was close to the game’s first chapter; thus making it a neat addition to this release.
On the music side of things, Corpse Party's soundtrack sets the mood for its scary tone, as players are listening to songs that give off an eerie and unsettling vibe. A few of the tunes go well with the Halloween season and some of them play off on that feeling that someone dangerous is about to sneak up on you. With each chapter featuring different types of creepy tracks, players are treated to some variety while they try to survive. If anything, this feature's appearance is likely thanks to game launching as an episodic release in Japan.
Corpse Party’s 2008 PC release may sport less extra content that its PSP version, but the game makes it up to people with its ability to let them fast forward the title's text, along with its array of extra Wrong Ends and other goodies, such as its take on the “Tooth” chapter and the title having different voice actors. Thanks to these features, this makes Corpse Party worth it for those who want to uncover Heavenly Host Elementary’s darkest secrets on their computer; thus teaching them the important lesson of not messing with charms that are connected to the supernatural.
[This review is based on a Steam copy of the game provided by the publisher.]

Sachiko we beg of you!For the longest time, I never got the chance to get into the horror genre of video games. It’s not that I’m afraid of playing a scary title; it’s that most of the major ones came out on the original Playstat...

[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.]
With Danganronpa 2's first trial out of the way, I can say that I was satisfied with the whole thing. The punishment scene pleased my expectations for ridiculous death ...

I'm going to be honest with everyone on here: I'm a really huge sucker for games that look like a beautiful illustration. From Vanillaware's titles to stuff like Indivisible, I can't help to want these things insid...

Anthony RedgraveI'm very interested going forward reading the Vertical Bakemonogatari light novels having seen the anime first i.e. the reverse of what I did with Kizumonogatari. Would I think the novels are too bland without the superb animation/ direction of the anime?Anthony RedgraveKizumonogatari films 1+2 are technically marvellous and brilliant adaptation of the highlights from the source material. Despite the Monogatari origins it is not beginner friendly. A lot of Monogatari staples are omitted/muted and has more horror elementsGarage HeroGarage Hero is an independent movie group based in Tokyo, Japan that specializes in (but not limited to) the Tokusatsu genre of Japanese Cinema. Follow us on Twitter (@garagepro7) and Facebook!albasIt seems like Qpost isn't as well integrated as it is in dtoid. Shame this place isn't more active but I still love all of you. DeScruff SypranHello I guess I'm new. I came in because of the Va-11 Hall-A stream last night.
When I get back home I'll explore this site a bit!animenekogirlHi I'm new and well I love anime...kevinperdueSometimes it just hard waiting for the pre-order. You know? But then there is other anime :).Red VeronHey, readers! I love you<3Rin HarukaOh my gosh i just finished clannad after story for the second time and i need at least 5 more tissue boxes sniff sniff Hiroko YamamurahikevinperdueYeah! I ordered three things all at different times and they all came in at the same time. Thanks name withheld ordering company!Salvador G RodilesSince my condition hasn't improved that much from yesterday, my Jtor Live segment won't be happening tonight. If anything, it should be back this Saturday.Salvador G RodilesSince I'm feeling under the weather right now (curse you, spring season), this week's Jtor Live shall be pushed to Sunday.Anthony RedgraveHearts over Hanekawa! <3Salvador G RodilesAs a heads-up, this week's Jtor Live is being pushed back to Sunday. Anthony RedgraveSomeone's got a new desktop background :DAnthony RedgraveI don't know what this is, but it's tres Adorbs!OverlordZettaI am choosing to believe Umaru randomly decided to make this reference and no one can stop me.Anthony RedgraveJust going to leave this hereAnthony Redgrave"In the name of the moon I will punish you!" with a posed look